A process for chemical and/or biological transformation

A process for chemical and/or biological transformation of at least one starting material dissolved in a fluid medium comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a fluid medium containing a dissolved starting material;
• b) providing carriers comprising at least one biochemical transformation means selected from the group of an immobilized enzyme and an encapsulated whole cell microorganism or fragments thereof;
• c) providing a reactor vessel, in which reactor vessel transformation device has been mounted, said transformation device comprising
• a flow distributor having an essentially cylindrical shape, a first essentially flat surface, a second essentially flat surface, and a peripheral wall having an essentially circular cross-section, at least one fluid medium inlet for receiving fluid medium and carriers located at the centre of said second surface, at least one fluid medium outlet permeable for said fluid medium but impermeable for said carriers, said outlet being located on said peripheral wall, a driving shaft located on said first surface for enabling rotation or oscillation of the flow distributor, and at least one confinement wherein said carriers can be trapped and said transformation is performed;
• and
• a means for rotating and/or oscillating the device;
• d) adding the fluid medium of step a) and the carriers of step b) to the reactor vessel of step c);
• e) rotating said flow distributor using said means at such a rotational speed or oscillatory rotary motion that said fluid medium of step a) and said carriers of step b) are sucked through said at least one fluid medium inlet into said at least one confinement and that said fluid medium is transported out from the flow distributor through said at least one outlet while said carriers remain in said at least one confinement;
• and
• f) maintaining rotating motion of said flow distributor until said transformation is deemed to be completed.